The Death of BET(Analysis)

The Network of BET (Analysis)

               Sometimes i just wish BET would die. Its relevance to black culture just doesn't exist, and its only mission is to entertain middle and high school kids with horrible hip hop with its self degrading show 106 & Park, a show that even its host are even reported to quit in a few months.  Which is the only show giving them major rating besides the re-runs they air of Everybody Hates Chris, The Parkers, and the Bernie Mac Show. The only show that is actually in syndication is The Game, which is BET's only good show with substance, well played out drama, and actually has a black cultural relevance.


                Yet BET didn't even create it, it was a show they picked up from UPN after it stopped airing. The founder and at one time President of BET, Bob Johnson has said it over and over again, he  did not create BET to break a social stigma, with a purpose to improve or show black culture in a better light. He has said time and time agin BET is a business, and he ran it as such. Debra Lee shamefully volunteered in carrying the torch after Bob Johnson stepped down as President, and in doing so created a horrible degrading representation of black culture, giving horrible rap music a forefront and letting a huge generation of hood rat/trap/retarted/ratchet rap touch the mainstream, while underground/creative/innovative rap was left to suffer because it was not "selling." Now in 2012, rap is separated into two different sectors "YMCMB" and "The Throne" its seems that the rest of rap is let to rot in the background because of Mainstream dumbed-down/luxury rap.106 & Park is not even relevant to top charting billboard Hip-Hop or R&b. Besides "YCMB & The Throne" no other hip hop acts even reaches the Top 100 Billboard Charts besides a few R&B singers who can't really be branded as R&b as much as they can techno. All the acts that BET showcase in their daily Top 10 of 106 & Park only reach top Hip-Hop/Rap Billboard charts, which don't sell over 600,000 units and are far away from the mainstream demographic as possible. 
                
                 Even with this dying channel of re-run shows, culturally degrading music BET ironically awards us with The BET Awards. A show that prides it self on thinking it has sometime of cultural relevancy while only scraping the surface of what true black culture is in this day and age.For example, this year you can clearly see the dying art of mainstream hip hop. If you look at the regular line-up  its always hip-hop/r&b awards/performances then then gospel another performances. Since BET didn't have a lot of rappers to chose from they showcased gospel/r&b/awards/achievements first and in-between that, there were the Hip-Hop performances. It's sad that BET choses its hood-rat rappers like Wale/Rick Ross/Nicki Minaj/2Chainz. When they could choose BIg KRIT/ Kendrick Lamar/Skyzoo/ Joey Bad A$$/Brother Ali/Killa Mike even Theophilus London. Most of these artist have appeared and performed on Late Night Television or MTV Specials, and yet BET refuses to recognize their stardom because it doesn't match with mainstream hip hop's"image" of hood rachetness. 


                 BET always fathoms some idea that the are the cornerstone of black media/culture. When that in itself is dying. They produce mindless shows that don't represent the evolution of black culture instead they dryly cut the surface and ignore of the artistic, independent nature and the educated young mind of black graduates. They try to connect to the family/newly married couple demographic with shows such as Reed Between the Lines/Lets Stay Together but ultimately fails with blotchy plots, dry humor, and cheap cliché dramas.


                 Each year BET tries to re-define what black culture is but ultimately fail because they try to define us by one image, by one type of young person, and one type of adult. Yet at the same time BET tries again, with a newscaster report. This is the third time BET tried to do that. First with Tavis Smiley, secondly with a cheaply-produced in-between-show newscast.Both were cancelled becase the hood rat demographic that they attracted doesn't watch they news. Besides why would Tavis Smiley doesn't want to work where they don't pay him at all, which is one of the reasons he left and went to PBS. Speaking on the manner of not paying any one, BET is born on being cheap. BET has a history of paying employes crap and trying to make a produce shows on a shoe-string budget with shoe-string quality. The comedians that were involved and performed on Comic View in the 90's were meagerly payed, and given meager benefits. Its even the reason AJ and Free left, and now (to my theory) is the reason Rocsi and Terrence are reported to leave in a few months. If the banned Boondocks episode "Hunger Strike" is accurate BET pays their employes a chicken wing and an orange as apart of their new health care plan. No matter how hard they try BET will never fully represent every  diverse corner of black culture. They should just stop and quit because in 10-15 years, no one will be watching BET. Right now I feel shamed that I'm even watching the BET Awards right now. Well, besides that D'Angelo performance. Wait......aren't The Incredibles on right now?

Super 8 (Review)

 

Super 8 (Review)
Summary
During the summer of 1979, a group of friends witness a train crash and investigate subsequent unexplained events in their small town
Review
                 Super 8 has said to be a throwback movie to the 80's Spielberg type movies. Personally my favorite essence of the film are the scenes with the kids and the fact that they want to make a film. There is so much irony and nostalgia in that premise alone that I thought it was good on its own. The budding romance between the two lead characters Joe (Joel Courtney)  and Alice (Elle Fanning) is played out well and actually makes sense if played out in a real life situation. Joe's character doesn't have a mother, and neither does Ellie, due to that, Joe seeks that love and comfort he would usually get from his mother in Ellie, whose personality,becuase she has an alcoholic of a father, is a really sweet and caring person. The group of goonies here Preston (Zach Mills), Martin (Gabriel Basso), and Cary (Ryan Lee),all play well of off each other, yet in real life i couldn't see them all as friends and fit too much into archetypes. The most interesting characters were Charles and Ellie for being the more complex characters out of the group. Personally, I wish Joe's performance was a little bit more emotion and he was a little bit more complex than, dead mother and train models. But i do enjoy his performance when he is demanding and becomes the leader of the group, thats when the group as a whole seem to be real close knit friends. 


              The plots mystery becomes gradually more interesting as more inquires begin to happen. As more people, and objects began to disappear the plot becomes more interesting, but what did it for me was the involvement with the air force/ army trying to cover up the mystery of the monster as a whole. Their is not a lot of plot changes and huge dramatic scenes to make this movie overly astounding. But their is enough heart between certain characters and moment of genuine childhood violence and mayhem to make the movie good. Children caught in and dealing with adult situations are always more interesting and complex because children emote and openly express the inquiries than adults do. And thats where the movie gets its spark. Kids over their head making a movie, kids over their head trying to save a friend from a big ass monster/alien, and kids over their head dealing with emotional trauma. The dead mother is overplayed, the whole army thing is not explained, and the monster is not truly explained as to what it is and how it functions.


               Is Super 8 a good film, YES, but their are somethings that dont make sense and   scenes that aren't memorable. The ending is the biggest flaw, it raps up the movie too quickly, and is too simple of an ending. Your telling me just talking to the monster/alien is the way to solve it? The ending is too soon and I wanted to see more of the characters, personally i don't even like the Dad, Ohio Deputy Jack Lamb (Kyle Chandler) . What kind of father puts his community and job before his son. His dam Mom is dead, your suppose to put MORE time and love into your son because of that.  I love the main characters, there are some problems with them but I can see most of them as actual children, and thats where the 80's nostalgia, Walkman, Polaroid essence comes from. I as repeat the ending is too soon, but the great final part of this movie that gives it .5 more points than i would of, is during the ending credits when they played the complete film the kids made. That was fucking awesome. All in all give this movie......

With homemade movie credit scene:8/10
With out homemade movie credit scene: 7.5/10